Overview

Join AG Society 2006 Conservationist of the Year Dr Menna Jones and her University of Tasmania colleague Professor Chris Johnson in wild north-western Tasmania as they seek to learn more about Tassie devils and changes in devil habitat in one of the areas still free of Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD). Since DFTD was first recognised in 1997, wild devil numbers have fallen by up to 80 per cent. North-west Tasmania has so far been spared, although DFTD is approaching, and causing major changes to the ecosystem, including an increase in feral cats. This is triggering further trophic cascades, including a decline in populations of feral cats’ native prey species, an increase in invasive rodents, and potentially an increase in wildlife diseases for which cats are the carrier.

​Menna – an ARC Future Fellow and a scientific advisor to the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program – has been studying devils for nearly two decades. We’ll assist her and Chris with field work that’s designed to monitor the vertebrate community in the Arthur River area prior to the arrival of DFTD, and then to monitor changes in the ecosystem as wild devils decline.